Quibble, quibble, foil and squabble...

Quibble, quibble, foil and squabble...
O'er entrails of sub-prime bubble


Here's some choice hocus-pocus from our economic wizard, Malcolm Turnbull and his Sorcerer's Apprentice, Julie Bishop, spotted at dead o' night on Lateline. They'll do anything to foil Labor initiatives

TONY JONES: Earlier today Mr Malcolm Turnbull told a radio interviewer, "We would no doubt have designed it differently", meaning the package. What would you have done differently

JULIE BISHOP: Well, that's why Malcolm said we wouldn't quibble about it. There is no point now saying had we been in government...


TONY JONES: You are quibbling about it. That's the point.


JULIE BISHOP: No, Tony.


TONY JONES: By saying we would've done it differently you're quibbling about it. What would you have done differently?


JULIE BISHOP: Tony, isn't it reasonable for the Opposition to ask what the assumptions underlying the Government's judgment...


TONY JONES: That's not my question. You've made that point, with respect. Mr Turnbull says you would've done it differently, so what would you have done differently?


JULIE BISHOP: I understand Malcolm was saying had we been in Government we may well have done things differently, we may well have looked at a different composition, we might have looked the tax cuts, we might have reconsidered the first home owners matter. We might have got information as to whether or not this would be an inflationary package and if you calibrate it had another way. But what we're say something we would like to know the basis upon which the Government made this judgment, that $10.4 billion should be expended this way with these component parts.